The joint ILO/WHO Global Programme for the Elimination of Silicosis (GPES) is being implemented by the two agencies with a view to eliminating this occupational disease in the world. The GPES encourages countries to establish National Programmes for the Elimination of Silicosis (NPES) to engage government, national employers’ and workers’ organizations, as well as other partners concerned in its active implementation.
This document will assist in the development of a National Programme for the Elimination of Silicosis (NPES). The National Programme description based on this document should take into consideration the specific national and local conditions and the availability of information and other resources. This Outline describes three documents:
The National Programme for the Elimination of Silicosis (NPES) and the National Action Plan for the Elimination of Silicosis are the two main documents needed to guide action in order to prevent and ultimately eliminate silicosis as an occupational disease in the country. Both the NPES and the National Action Plan should conform to the objectives of the ILO/WHO Global Programme for the Elimination of Silicosis (GPES). Participation in the GPES requires the establishment of NPES (complemented by National Action Plan) as a national action program.
The NPES represents a consensus policy document targeting the prevention of silicosis as a priority in occupational health with an aim to protect workers against this incurable and often highly disabling disease. The NPES should put forward a feasible prevention strategy designed with a due consideration of local conditions and the national situation. The following is a proposed outline for a National Programme for the Elimination of Silicosis, containing suggestions for the key areas to be addressed under each section.
Several countries, have established the National Programme for the Elimination of Silicosis (NPES), including: